Page 27 of Devoured

But this time, something changed.

The door to my cell exploded inward with a sound like metal screaming as it bent and tore. Two massive hands reached through and grabbed Theo by the shoulders. His fingers sank deep into the ghost’s flesh.

“No,”Theo gasped and I saw real terror on his face for the first time since the night I had killed him. “You can’t—I’m already—”

The hands pulled in opposite directions, and Theo screamed as he tore down the middle. Not blood inside—something worse. Darkness that writhed and tried to escape. His face split last, that cruel smile finally turning to horror.

Then the figure stepped into my cell.

The same massive form I’d seen before: bare chest marked with ritual scars and old wounds. That iron helmet with red light burning through the slits. He crushed what was left of Theo between his palms until nothing remained. Not even shadow.

Then he turned to me, and pure terror flooded my veins.

This thing—whatever it was—had just destroyed a ghost with its bare hands. Those same hands could crush my bones to powder.

He took a step toward me, and I scrambled backward like a trapped animal. My breath came in short, panicked gasps. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst.

What did he want? Why wasn’t he leaving?

“When he raised one massive hand, a sound escaped my throat. Part whimper, part sob. I was shaking now with violent tremors that made my teeth chatter.”

He stopped.

His hand lowered slowly, and he stepped back. Something in my terror made him retreat.

Then he vanished, without any warning, without any sound. One moment he was there, the next he wasn’t. Like he’d never existed at all.

The cell was empty and silent. The door was whole and locked as if nothing had happened. I slumped against the wall, gasping. The corner where Theo had stood was empty. But I could still smell burnt metal and old leather, and somehow, I knew: whatever had just happened—Theo was gone for good.

And after years of sleeping with the lights on, I finally lay down in complete darkness. There was no hallway light bleeding under the door. There was no checking the corners of the room before closing my eyes.

Theo was gone.

And somehow, impossibly, I slept. The darkness didn’t feel like it was waiting to swallow me whole anymore.

Chapter 10

“Rise and shine, Quinn.”Tobias’s annoying voice bounced off the concrete walls. “Solitary’s over.”

“It’s Zahra. Or Mitchell.”I ground my teeth, and he laughed.

Light flooded in as the door opened—harsh overhead lighting that made me squint after hours of near-darkness.

Next door, another orderly unlocked Marion’s cell. She stepped out slowly, dark hair tangled. The moment she saw me, Marion rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me in a fierce hug—like we were long-lost sisters instead of two people who’d been beating each other just yesterday.

“Move it,”Tobias barked. “Back to gen pop.”

I stepped out, bare feet freezing against the tile, my split lip throbbing in the bright light—still holding onto Marion.

“Fucking lunatics,”the other orderly muttered behind us. “Fighting like animals yesterday, now they’re best friends.”

“That’s how the crazy ones work,”Tobias chuckled. “Never know which way they’ll swing.”

We reached the junction where solitary met the main corridor. That’s when Marion spoke, still close beside me.

“Didn’t think you’d last the night.”

I smiled, despite the swelling in my lip. “I actually slept. Had a very, very weird dream, but yeah, I slept. I feel... weirdly fresh, if that makes sense.”